Because the typical portable radiotelephone used in a cellular system is battery powered, low current drain is an important factor in circuit design to achieve acceptable operating and standby times. The receiver portion of the radiotelephone preferably employs low noise transistors and special care is taken in circuit layout to minimize noise input. In addition, the receiver is expected to perform satisfactorily over a wide range of RF signal strengths, typically from -116 dBm for the weakest signal to -30 dBm for the strongest signal. To achieve low noise operation with weak RF signals at frequencies of 800 MHZ and above, a comparatively high level of RF stage collector-emitter current Ice, perhaps as much as 10-15 mA DC, may be necessary to achieve an acceptable signal to noise ratio. This level of collector-emitter current is an appreciable fraction of total RF current which is required to be less than 25-35 mA in the analog standby state. It would be extremely desirable to be able to prolong battery life by reducing the amount of RF stage collector-emitter current during standby periods.